A Change In Time
by LEYTON-NALEY
Summary: Lucas has been in love with Peyton ever since he saw her. He finally works up enough courage to ask her out, but gets shot down because he isn't cute enough. Now three months later, high school is starting and he is a whole different person. Peyton never thought the day would come where she liked Lucas Scott.
1. Chapter 1

**This is another one of my ideas for a story. I know I still have to write Destiny and My Brother's Best Friend, but I wanted to see what everyone thought of this one. Please read and review it. Thank you.**

* * *

**Chapter One**

Lucas sighed happily as the school bell rang, signaling that the day was over. Today was the last day of eighth grade and he was relieved. Eighth grade had been a horrible year for him, filled with bullying and teasing. The only reason he didn't have his mom transfer him schools was simple: Peyton Sawyer. He had been in love with Peyton ever since he saw her. And who wouldn't be? She was by far the most prettiest girl in eighth grade and the most popular. Besides Brooke Davis of course, though he never saw her that way.

He had never worked up enough courage to talk to Peyton, but today that was going to change. He had decided that today he was going to ask Peyton out. He knew it was crazy considering he had never said a word to her his whole life, but he knew if he didn't do it now, then he never would.

He walked outside and looked around the crowd of people, searching for the girl of his dreams. His face lit up when he spotted her talking to Brooke. That didn't surprise him since everyone knew they were best friends. He took a deep breath and walked towards her.

* * *

"Can you believe eighth grade is over?" Brooke Davis, Peyton's best friend, asked. They were walking out of the school, waiting for the crowd of people to leave so they could avoid all of the pushing and shoving. "Is it horrible that I don't want it to end?"

"Trust me, once you realize how awesome high school is, you'll forget all about eighth grade. I mean aren't you ready for the friends, the boys, the parties? I know I am," Peyton replied. She turned around when she heard a voice behind her.

"Peyton Sawyer?"

"Yeah?" She saw a boy with long blond hair and blue eyes around her height staring at her. He looked nerdy and chubby. "Um.. Do I know you?"

"I'm Lucas Scott." He couldn't believe he was actually talking to Peyton Sawyer. She gave him a clueless look, so he continued. "We've been in the same class since kindergarten."

"Oh yeah. What do you want?" She wondered why this kid was talking to her. She couldn't have cared less about what he had to say.

"Well, I was wondering if you would like to go out with me tonight?" he asked nervously. "It doesn't even have to be tonight. It can be tomorrow night, or the night after, or anytime you want."

Peyton turned around and looked at Brooke, who was trying to hold in her laughter. She gave her a look that said, _Is this kid for_ _real? _"Tonight's not gonna work. I have other plans. But I know when we can go on a date!"

"Really? When?" he said excitedly._ Peyton Sawyer is actually going to go on a date with me! I should have asked her years ago!,_ he thought.

"When hell freezes over." Her and Brooke burst out laughing.

"Nice," Brooke said, giving her a high-five.

Lucas watched as they walked away, still laughing hysterically. He walked home, his heart shattered into a million pieces.

* * *

_Three Months Later..._

Lucas woke up to the sound of his alarm clock. Today was the first day of high school. It had been three months since his talk with Peyton. He had spent everyday of each month replaying it over and over in his mind. He was so heartbroken, the only person he saw besides his mom over the past three months, was Skills. Skills was his only friend. When he had found out what Peyton did, he became determined to help Lucas get a whole new look. One that would make Peyton regret her decision of saying no to him and breaking his heart.

Lucas took a shower and looked in the mirror. He had had a growth spurt, so he was now 6'1. His long, blond hair was cut, making his hair look softer and causing his sexy face stand out. He had worked out with Skills and played non-stop basketball. He was no longer chubby, but fit. He had a six-pack and perfect-sized biceps. He looked so different. Sometimes, he couldn't even recognize himself. He dressed into jeans and a plain white shirt. He ate breakfast and walked to school, hoping to meet up with Skills along the way.

* * *

Peyton was so excited for high school. She had spent the last three months with Brooke in California. Brooke's mom owned a house out there, and they wanted to spend the summer out of Tree Hill. Even though it had been fun, Peyton couldn't wait for it to be over. Once it was over, it meant high school was starting. She had managed to convince Brooke high school was going to be great, so she shared her excitement.

Peyton got prettier from eighth grade. She had grown out her blond hair so that it was a few inches below her shoulders. It had somehow gotten curlier, and she grew a few inches in height too. Thanks to California, her amazing legs had a nice tan to them. She walked into her closet and picked out a pair of jeans with a green tank top that brought out her eyes. She heard a knock on her door, and Brooke walked in.

"You ready to go?" Brooke asked excitedly.

Peyton gave herself one last look and walked towards Brooke. "Yep. Let's go."

* * *

Lucas walked onto campus and noticed stares from people all around him. He wondered if something was wrong because he wasn't used to being stared at. He passed by a girl and happened to hear what she said. "Who is he? He is hot!"

Lucas smiled and walked past them. He he never been called hot before. He liked it. He looked around, looking for Skills, and spotted someone who looked just as lost as he felt. He walked towards him and saw that he was with a girl. "Hi. I'm Lucas Scott." He looked at both of them. "Are you new to Tree Hill?"

"Hi, Lucas. I'm Nathan Gatina and this is my sister, Rachel," Nathan said, shaking Lucas's hand. Rachel just smiled. "We are new here."

"I thought so. Tree Hill isn't so bad once you get used to it."

"At least the girls are hot," Nathan said, looking around. Lucas just laughed.

"Excuse me. I'm new here. Can you tell me where room 131 is?" asked a voice from behind Lucas.

Lucas turned around and saw a girl. She looked nervous and in a rush. "Yeah. It's right over there," Lucas said, pointing with his finger.

"Thanks." She tried to walk away, but dropped all of her books. "Crap!" She bent down and began to pick them up.

Lucas bent down and helped her pick them up. "What's the rush? Classes don't start for another 10 minutes. You have plenty of time to get to room 131." He handed her her last book and stood up again.

"You're right. I'm just the kind of person who likes to get there early." She took a deep breath and smiled. "I'm Haley James."

"Nice to meet you, Haley. I'm Lucas Scott." Lucas turned to the side and motioned towards Nathan and Rachel. "That's Nathan and that's Rachel. They're new here too."

"Hi," Haley greeted, shaking their hands.

"Hey. We can all hang out. I could show you around and we could get to know each other better. What do you think?" Lucas asked, looking around the group.

"Sounds great," Nathan replied. Rachel and Haley just nodded in agreement and smiled.

"Great," Lucas said. It was only his first day and he had already made three new friends. He turned around and came face to face with Peyton.

* * *

Right as Peyton and Brooke stepped onto campus, Brooke stopped and faced Peyton. "P. Sawyer, I'm sorry, but I'm nervous for high school. I am not excited at all. I've been trying to put on a good face in front of you, but I can't do it anymore. Please help me."

"Brooke, calm down. Everything is gonna be fine. You're only nervous because it's the first day. Don't worry about it. By tomorrow, you'll be fine." Peyton gave Brooke a comforting hug. "I know what will help."

"What?"

"You should talk to a guy."

"I can't just go talking to guys." Brooke thought it was a horrible idea. They walked into the crowd of people.

"Why not? It's easy." Peyton couldn't believe Brooke right now. She knew her and Brooke could get any guy they wanted to, so she didn't understand why Brooke was so nervous.

"Well if it's so easy, then you do it," Brooke challenged.

"Fine, I will. But if I do it, then you have to, too"

"Fine," Brooke agreed.

Peyton looked around campus. She saw a few guys from eighth grade, but no one special. Suddenly, her eyes focused on a tall blond, talking to a guy and two girls. He turned his head in her direction, but he didn't look at her. She saw his face and her mouth watered a little. He must be new because she didn't remember seeing him before. She walked straight up to him with Brooke on her heels. "Watch and learn, Brooke."

"Oh. Good choice," Brooke complemented.

Peyton smiled as she approached him. She was about to tap on his shoulder, but he turned around. "Hi. I'm Peyton."

He stared at her for a second. "I know who you are."

Peyton was taken aback. "You do? And how is that?"

"Lets see. Well, if my memory is correct, you're the girl who broke my heart three months ago." Lucas looked at her face and saw confusion. He could tell he had caught her off guard and he felt good. Nathan, Rachel, and Haley all fell silent behind him, obviously overhearing their conversation.

"I think you have the wrong person. What's your name?"

"Lucas Scott." He watched as her confusion cleared and was replaced with realization. "Now do you remember who I am?"

"You've changed. I mean you look so-"

"Different? Yeah. I get that a lot," he lied. Who would've known this new look would give him a whole new level of confidence. "What do you want?"

"I was just... I just wanted to...," she stammered. "Um... I gotta go." She walked away with Brooke following her.

"Oh. Is that how it's done?" Brooke asked teasingly.

"Oh my god! That was so embarrassing." Peyton shook her head, trying to clear the memory from her brain but failing.

"Well, you were pretty mean to him last time."

"Yeah, but that was before he looked like _that._" She looked at him and saw that he went back to talking with those people.

"Yeah. Well, if you think I'm gonna talk to some random guy now, then you're seriously mistaken," Brooke laughed. Peyton just shook her head again. "C'mon. I'll walk you to your first class." Brooke linked her arm with Peyton and they began to walk away.

* * *

Lucas smiled to himself. That was the last thing he expected to happen today. He turned around and faced Nathan, Rachel, and Haley again.

"Who was that?" Nathan asked curiously.

Lucas smiled. "Nobody." He turned his head and saw Peyton walking away with Brooke. "Just the girl of my dreams." He mumbled the last part, so no one heard him.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you for the reviews. Glad some people are liking this story. Even if you don't like my story, thank you for taking the time to review it. I'm going to keep writing it the way I want to though because it's my story. So if you don't like it, then you don't have to read it. Here is another chapter. Please review it and let me know what you think. Thank you.**

* * *

**Chapter Two**

Lucas walked to his first class, which happened to be with Nathan. Haley and Rachel walked to their classes, saying goodbye to both of them. "So, are you and that girl serious?" Nathan asked.

"Me and what girl?" Lucas didn't know what he was talking about.

"You know. The one who was talking to you right before the bell rang," Nathan explained.

"Oh. No, we're not serious." Lucas wanted to say that they were, but they weren't and he could never be with her after what she did.

"Ok, good. 'Cause she is hot! I'm thinking about talking to her, maybe taking her out on a date, having meaningless sex with her a few times." Nathan said smiling. "It's gonna be awesome."

Lucas tried to hold back his anger, but was failing miserably. "Look, Man. I know she's hot and everything, but you can't just do that to her. Or any girl for that matter. If you're thinking about being with her, then it better be for real," Lucas said, with a threatening look in his eye.

"Chill, Man. I was just messing with you." Nathan looked at Lucas weirdly. "Are you into her, Man?"

"What?" Lucas heard him, but just didn't know what to say.

"Are you into her. 'Cause you're acting like you are."

"I'm... Just forget it ok? If you want to sleep with her and have it be meaningless, then go right ahead. I won't stop you." Lucas walked into class and sat down at a random desk.

Nathan followed and sat down next to him. "Alright, let's just forget it. So, are you gonna try out for the basketball team?"

"Yeah." Lucas said, relieved to have the conversation off of Peyton.

"Cool. If we both make the team, then you're gonna have to watch out. I'm the best of the best," Nathan bragged. They both laughed.

"Yeah, we'll see about that. Tryouts are today."

"I know. My sister is trying out for the cheer leading squad," Nathan told him.

"That's great. I hope she makes it." Lucas couldn't help but wonder if Peyton was trying out for the cheer leading team. He knew she had talked about it with Brooke when they were in gym class, but he didn't know if she was actually planning on going through with it.

"Don't tell her I told you this, but I think she likes you. She's never that quiet around a guy. Would you ever go out with her?" Nathan asked. He knew Rachel liked him because she told him before she walked away with Haley. Now, he was just trying to help her out. He knew she would be thanking him for this later because no guy ever turned down someone as beautiful as Rachel.

"I don't know, Man. I mean, I don't really know her," Lucas said uncertainly. He didn't want to make Nathan feel bad because the truth was: he had no interest towards Rachel at all. As much as it killed him to say it due to previous events, he was still in love with Peyton Sawyer.

* * *

"So, is it safe to say you're in love with Lucas Scott?" Brooke asked. She had seen the way Peyton had looked at him. She couldn't lie, she had found him hot too.

"No! I'm not in love with him. In fact, I don't even like him." Peyton knew Brooke wasn't going to believe her. And to be honest, she didn't believe herself either. There was just something she felt when she saw him. She knew it was wrong considering how mean she was the last time they spoke, but now that she was thinking about it, she had felt it that day too. She just couldn't face that fact because she felt like he was way out of her league and none of her friends would have approved.

"Peyton, do you really expect me to believe you?" Brooke asked. "I think you like him now and even before when you guys last talked."

"Whatever." Peyton was right about Brooke. She knew her too well. "Who were those girls he was talking to earlier?"

"Why don't you find out yourself? Here comes one of them right now," Brooke said, pointing at a red head who was approaching.

"Hi, I'm Rachel. You're the girls who were talking to Lucas this morning, right?" Rachel said with ease. She never had a problem talking to new people. It was one of her greatest traits.

"Actually, that was her," Brooke corrected, motioning towards Peyton. "I was the one standing next to her."

"Oh yeah. Right," Rachel said. "So, are you and Lucas like a thing? Or..."

"No. No. No. No. No. We are anything but a thing. We're not even friends," Peyton mumbled. She looked at Brooke who was nodding yes to Rachel's question. She made a mental note to herself: _Kill Brooke later._

"Oh, but you're into him, aren't you?" Rachel had thought she saw something between them. She needed to know, since she was thinking of going for Lucas. Whether Peyton was going to be a problem or not definitely needed to be determined.

"I am not into Lucas Scott. He is the last person I would be into."

"Good. 'Cause I plan on making him mine," she said simply. She looked at Peyton and saw her eyes turn cold. Rachel was starting to think maybe Peyton was lying about not having feelings for Lucas.

"Ha," Brooke laughed. "What makes you so sure Lucas would ever go out with you?" She knew Peyton did have some sort of feelings for Lucas, even if she hadn't realized it yet. She felt that it was her job as best friend to stand up for her.

"Well, it's funny really. Me and my brother, Nathan, have moved around a lot, and I always get the guy. Sometimes, I don't even have to lift a finger." Rachel looked Brooke in the eyes.

"Well, here's something I bet you didn't know, New Girl: Lucas went for Peyton first," Brooke said, giving Rachel a smug smile.

"Oh, really? Then why aren't they together now?"

"Umm..." Brooke was caught off guard. She didn't know what to say without making Peyton seem like a complete bitch.

"I turned him down," Peyton admitted, stepping in. She shot Brooke a grateful glance. She knew Brooke would always have her back, just like she would always have Brooke's.

"What? Are you crazy? He's like the hottest guy in the school!" Rachel exclaimed.

"You've been here like what? Five minutes? And you've seen enough guys to determine Lucas is the hottest guy here?" Brooke said.

"Well, guys are the first thing I notice when I move to a new school."

"Clearly," Brooke said. She smirked at Rachel.

"How about we start all over? I promised myself I would at least try to make friends on the first day. What do you say we just forget the past five minutes ever happened?" Rachel asked, hopefully.

"Fine," Brooke agreed. Peyton just nodded her head in agreement.

"Great," Rachel said excitedly. They walked into class and sat next to each other, Brooke in the middle. "So, are you guys trying out for cheer leading today?"

"Yeah, are you?" Brooke asked.

"Yep. Oh my god! If we all make the team, then we could hang out like all the time!" Rachel said excitedly.

"Great," Peyton whispered sarcastically.

* * *

Lucas walked to his last class of the day. After his first class with Nathan, he had a class with Haley. He didn't have a class with someone he knew after that, so he was hoping there was someone he did know in his last one. Sure, he didn't have a problem with having someone to talk to. The girls were all over him. He just wanted to talk to someone he knew.

He walked into his classroom and sat down at a seat in the back. He looked down as he waited for the class to start. Only a few other people were in the class, no one he recognized of course. He looked up when he heard a familiar voice.

"Oh my god! Lucas, we have last period together? That is so awesome!" It was Rachel.

"Hey, Rachel. I was hoping I'd have a class with you." He didn't want her to feel bad by saying that he just wanted to have a class with someone he knew. He was aware of what Nathan had told him earlier about her might liking him though.

"You were?" Rachel asked. Her heart was soaring at his words. She sat down in the seat next to him.

"Yeah. So, how has your day been so far?"

"It's been fine. I'm friends with those two girls from earlier. What's their names...," she wondered. "Oh yeah! Brooke and Peyton."

Lucas cleared his throat at the mention of Peyton's name. "Oh, you're friends with Peyton? Did she say anything about me?" He tried not to sound too desperate to hear about her.

"Actually, yes," Rachel told him. She could see the desperation in his eyes and hear it in his voice. Peyton may not be into him anymore, but he was definitely into her._ I have to do something about this._ "She said something about you going for her but her turning you down."

"Oh, really," He said uncomfortably. "She told you about that? Well, did she say why?" Lucas asked. He was pretty sure he knew why, but he wanted to confirm his guess.

"I believe her exact words were 'Lucas is an ugly loser who never stood a chance with me to begin with'." Rachel could see her plan was working when Lucas's eyes turned a little blurry at her words.

"Wow. That's um.. that's harsh." He couldn't believe Peyton actually said that.

"I don't know why she would say that. If anything, she doesn't stand a chance with you," Rachel said, rubbing his shoulder. She could feel his muscles through his shirt and she could picture them wrapped around her when they were having sex.

"Believe it or not Rachel, I used to be a nerd. I was by far out of her league." Lucas liked how nice Rachel was being. He started to think it wouldn't be too horrible to be with Rachel. In fact, he might actually enjoy it.

"Lucas, if anything, she was out of your league. I'm not talking about looks. You have an amazing heart and she doesn't. You don't deserve her," Rachel told him. She knew that the only reason she was talking to him right now was because he was hot and she wanted him more for pleasure than for anything else. But if that's what he needed to hear, she's the one he would hear it from.

"Thanks, Rachel." He smiled at her. Lucas looked at the front of the classroom and saw the teacher. He glanced around, surprised that the class was completely full. He must have been too distracted with his conversation with Rachel to notice.

"We can talk more at tryouts," she told him. She winked at him and turned to face the teacher. Lucas fell silent and focused on the front of the class. He could have sworn he felt eyes on him, but he just shrugged it off.

"Hello, everyone. My name is Mr. Johnson. I'm your Science teacher for the year, so you better get used to me," Mr. Johnson said. "First thing is first. This year we will be doing a lot of partner projects, so I took the liberty of assigning partners for you."

Lucas didn't really care who he got assigned to. He hoped it was Rachel, but he knew the chances of that happening were slim. He just hoped it wasn't someone who expected him to do all of the work. Lucas listened to Mr. Johnson read off the list of partners, waiting to hear his own name.

"Rachel Gatina and Chase Adams," he read.

"Who's Chase Adams?" Rachel whispered.

"He's the one right over there." Lucas pointed. He remembered Chase from last year. He didn't really like him, but he had no reason to hate him. He always thought Brooke liked him, but he never could prove that theory correct.

Mr. Johnson continued reading the list. Lucas's heart nearly stopped when he heard Mr. Johnson say his name. "Lucas Scott and Peyton Sawyer"


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry for taking so long to update, but thanks for the reviews. Here is another chapter for you guys. Hope you enjoy it. Please review it and let me know what you think. Thank you!**

* * *

**Chapter Three**

Lucas couldn't believe his ears. He didn't even know Peyton was in this class. He looked at Rachel who crossed her arms angrily. He looked around the class and saw Peyton sitting in the place he felt eyes coming from earlier. She was already looking at him. She smiled at him and motioned for him to come sit by her. He gathered his stuff together and walked over. He sat down next to her and took a deep breath, not sure of what to say next.

"Hey," she greeted happily.

"Hey." He looked down. Everything Rachel had just told him she said played in his mind.

"That's pretty crazy that we're gonna be partners all year, huh?" she asked. He just nodded him head. "Lucas, can we please just start all over?"

"You know what, Peyton? I was ready to start all over with you. I wanted to try to be your friend. I understand that I should let something go if it was already three months ago, but what you said this morning changes everything." Lucas just had to get that off his chest. He wanted her to know that Rachel had told him everything.

"What? What are you talking about? What did I say this morning?"

"C'mon, Peyton. Rachel told me what you said."

"What did she say?" Peyton asked. She couldn't remember saying anything bad about Lucas, and especially not to Rachel.

"Just forget it. We're gonna have to work together all year, so we might as well leave it how it is. Whatever you said earlier isn't going to matter right now. Let's just get through this year as partners, then you can go back to hating me." Lucas looked at her. "Partners?"

"Partners," Peyton reluctantly agreed. She had no idea what Lucas was talking about, but she really didn't want to bring up Rachel again. She wasn't planning on letting her get away with whatever she told Lucas though. _Guess me and Rachel need to have a little talk at tryouts._

* * *

Lucas walked out of his last class and headed for the gym. Rachel caught up to him and smiled.

"So, how did class with Peyton go? What did you guys talk about?" Rachel wanted to make sure that Peyton wasn't trying to flirt with Lucas in any way.

"Well, if I'm describing it using only one word, then it would be awkward," Lucas said, pulling open the gym door and holding it open for Rachel. He stepped inside after her.

"Why was it awkward?"

"Well, totally ignoring the fact that she broke my heart three months ago," he said. "She acted like she didn't know what I was talking about when I told her you told me what she said. It was such good acting, I almost thought you were lying."

"What? I would never lie to you, Lucas," Rachel said nervously. She was afraid he would figure out she was lying.

"I know that. I'm just saying she could probably be an actress when she grows up." He paused. "Her skills are very impressive," he joked.

Rachel laughed. "I sure hope you're still talking about her acting skills."

"Of course I am. She would never be with a guy like me, remember?" Lucas told her. He couldn't help but wish he was talking about more than just her acting skills.

"Yeah, I'm sorry for that. You deserve so much better." She turned to walk towards the cheer leading tryouts. She turned around to face Lucas. "I'll see you after tryouts. Good luck."

* * *

Lucas walked to the court after changing into his gym clothes, and saw Nathan. He approached him, nervous for tryouts. "Hey, Man. How's your day been?" Lucas asked.

"Great actually. I think I'm really gonna like it here," Nathan admitted.

"That's great, Man. I told you Tree Hill wasn't so bad." Lucas wondered if Nathan was as nervous as he was. "You nervous?"

"Not really. I'm just getting impatient. I mean how long is the coach gonna take before we start this thing?" Nathan laughed.

"What's your name, Son?" The coach asked, stepping from behind Nathan. It was clear he had heard Nathan, but Nathan acted like he didn't care.

"Gatina. Nathan Gatina," he said smugly.

"Well,_ Gatina_, if you're so impatient to tryout, why don't you go first?"

"I'd be happy to." Nathan stepped on to the court.

"Let's see how many free throws you can make in 3 minutes. Then, we'll do three pointers and layups," the coach said. He pulled out a timer and blew his whistle.

Lucas was amazed at how many shots Nathan made. There was no doubt Nathan was a better player than him. Lucas was sure Nathan would make the team and he wouldn't. In no time, Nathan was walking towards him, acting arrogant.

"Did you see that, Man? I was on fire. I made almost every shot," Nathan said, high fiving Lucas.

"Yeah, Man. You killed it out there. I can honestly say that you are a better player than I am. That was pretty impressive."

"I told you I was better." His eyes focused on something behind Lucas. "Oh, Man! Peyton's trying out for the cheer leading team. She's gonna look hot in her short-ass skirt." He laughed.

Lucas looked behind him, searching for Peyton. He saw her stretching her beautiful legs that he loved so much. She looked in his direction and he searched desperately for something else to look at. His eyes focused on Rachel who was waving at him. He saw that next to her was Haley. "Nathan, is that Haley?!"

"Oh my god, Man. That so is! That's hilarious." Nathan doubled over laughing.

"What's so funny about that? I bet you she'll make the team." Lucas wanted to punch Nathan in his face. It was one thing to make crude comments about Peyton, but to make fun of Haley for trying something new? That was too far. He could already tell she was going to become one of his best friends, and he always stood up for his friends.

"I really doubt that, Man." Nathan stopped laughing and looked at Lucas. "Hey, Chase just finished trying out."

"Wait. How do you know Chase?"

"We were talking right before you showed up to tryouts. He's pretty cool."

"Oh." Lucas figured Nathan and Chase would get along. They were both arrogant jerks. "I'm gonna go and see if I can try out next." He walked towards the coach.

"Name?" he demanded without looking up.

"Lucas Scott."

"You know the drill. Let's see how you do." He pressed a button on the timer and Lucas began to shoot the ball.

Lucas was surprised by how many shots he made. He almost thought he made more than Nathan, but he realized he wasn't that good. He walked over to Nathan, feeling good about himself.

"Man, you missed it. Peyton did her tryouts and I seriously got a boner. I can already picture her doing things to me when we're having sex. It's gonna be so hot." Nathan high fived Chase, who was still there.

"Hey, _Man_. You really need to stop talking about Peyton like that," Lucas warned, facing Nathan. He could feel his anger towards Nathan growing. He knew he shouldn't care what Nathan said about Peyton, but he couldn't control it.

"Why? What's your problem?" Nathan said, getting in Lucas's face. "You said you didn't care what I said about her earlier. Were you lying? 'Cause if you were lying, now's the time to say something about it."

Lucas took a deep breath. "I'm sorry. I just don't like when men disrespect women."

"Alright, Man. That's all you had to say. I'll make sure not to talk about the things me and Peyton are going to do around you," Nathan said, his anger melting away.

"Alright. Thank you." Lucas walked towards the locker room to change. "I'm gonna go get dressed."

* * *

Rachel changed into some short shorts and a tank top. She walked over to the other cheer leaders, excited to try out. There was no doubt in her mind that she would make the team. Her heart started racing when she saw Peyton walking over to her.

"It's Rebecca isn't it?" Peyton asked Rachel. She knew her name was Rachel, but she wanted any excuse to piss her off.

"It's Rachel." Rachel was getting annoyed with Peyton. She tried not to show it, but she wasn't trying hard enough. Peyton noticed the angry look on her face, but pretended to ignore it.

"Right, sorry. So, Lucas told me you told him what I said this morning. What did I say, Rachel?" Peyton smiled at Rachel's suddenly nervous face.

"I just told him that you didn't want to be with him. I have nothing against you, Peyton. I want to try to be your friend."

"I don't believe you." Peyton said with narrowed eyes.

"It's the truth, Peyton. I swear."

"Whatever. Just try to keep my name out of your mouth in the future." Peyton walked away from Rachel and joined Brooke.

Brooke pointed Lucas out to her. She had no idea he was trying out for the basketball team. She smiled at the thought of him and her dating each other. She pretended like she didn't care to Brooke. Later on, she caught him staring at her. He looked at Rachel when he saw her though. Right before her tryout, she watched him tryout. Her mouth watered every time his shirt went up, revealing his toned abs.

Her tryouts went well she thought. She knew she didn't do as well as Brooke, but she did well enough. During her tryouts, she glanced over at the boys side. She saw Nathan and Chase hollering at her. Nathan winked at her, and she couldn't help but feel as though she were being violated. She felt relieved when Brooke walked up to join her and covered their view of her.

"Boys can be so immature." Brooke muttered. She looked at Peyton. "Your tryouts went great. I'm almost positive you're gonna be on the squad."

"Brooke, you were better than me. If you're not on the squad, then I'm definitely not," Peyton said honestly. She looked back to the mat where she tried out, and saw Rachel. "Look," she told Brooke.

Brooke followed her eyes and saw Rachel. She was probably giving the sluttiest try out ever. She kept glancing over to the boy's side, obviously trying to get someone's attention.

Peyton crossed her arms and looked away. Her eyes rested on Lucas. Just then she realized who Rachel was trying so hard to impress. "She's doing that for Lucas," she told Brooke. All of a sudden, Lucas glanced over at Rachel and she immediately did the splits. Peyton shook her head. "That little slut."

"Don't worry, Peyton. Lucas would never go for someone like that. He just doesn't seem like that kind of guy," Brooke assured her. She could see Peyton boiling with jealousy.

"Well, then he's not going for me ever. Brooke, I used to be that girl." Peyton hated to admit it, but she knew it was true.

"I know, Peyton. But you're not that girl anymore. Over the summer, you changed. You started being this amazing version of yourself that I've only seen glimpses of. You just gotta give Lucas a chance to see that, and I'm sure he'll forget about Rachel in a second." Brooke was being completely honest. Peyton had really changed.

"I hope," Peyton mumbled doubtfully.


	4. Chapter 4

Peyton decided to walk home by herself. Brooke had managed to make friends with some of the girls that tried out, and they were going out for smoothies. Even though Peyton was invited, she didn't want to go. She wanted to talk to Brooke about Lucas and Rachel and have her best friend all to herself, but that wasn't going to happen.

She was too lost in thought to look where she was going. She crashed into a kid she's seen before, but had no idea who he was.

"Sorry," she mumbled.

"It's OK. Peyton, right?" the boy asked.

"Yeah, hi. Who are you?" Peyton questioned, wondering how he knew her when she didn't know him.

"I'm Marvin- Mouth," he corrected himself. "We've been going to school together since kindergarten."

"I'm sorry I don't recognize you. Your face does look familiar though."

"Well, it would be hard for me to not know who you are. Not only were you the most popular girl in the school, but you were all my best friend talked about," Mouth admitted.

"Really? Who's your best friend?" Peyton said, smiling at the compliment.

"Well, he _was_ my best friend. Not anymore," Mouth replied sadly. "I don't think you know him. His name is Lucas Scott. We all went to school together, but he hung out with me and our other friend, Skills. We weren't really that popu-"

"I know Lucas. He kind of asked me out," she said, surprised to find out that he was the one Mouth was talking about. She couldn't believe that Lucas had liked her for that long. She smiled.

"He did? He's never mentioned that before. I know we're not really friends anymore, but he would have talked to me about something like that."

Peyton thought of how mean she was that day, and stopped smiling. Guilt spread through her. "Well, he probably wasn't very fond of talking about the experience. I was kind of a bitch to him."

"How can you be a bitch to Lucas Scott? He's like the nicest guy I've ever known. It's just not possible," Mouth said, completely shocked.

"I was a horrible person back then."

"Back then? Does that mean you're not anymore?"

"I've changed," she said simply. He just nodded his head and looked down. "Do you wanna go somewhere and talk?"

"Me?! And you?!" Mouth asked, shocked yet again. She nodded and laughed. "I would love to!"

"Great. I know this great little coffee shop we could go. It's called Karen's-"

"Cafe," Mouth finished.

"Yeah. You know it?"

"Know it? I spent half of my life in that place. Well, there and the River Court."

"Wow! You must really love coffee," Peyton observed.

"No! That's not why I hung out there so much. Lucas's mom actually owns the place. We ate there for free and she's a really great person."

"I didn't know that. It's a small world," Peyton said.

"No. It's just a small town," Mouth corrected.

Peyton laughed. "So, why aren't you and Lucas friends anymore?"

"We just drifted apart. He became closer to Skills, and I started to become more interested in school. And we just... stopped hanging out. Every once in awhile, we'll text, but it's not the same. Something like this though...he would have talked to me about it."

"I'm sorry," Peyton said sympathetically. She didn't know what she would do if that happened with her and Brooke. "C'mon. I'll buy you a coffee."

Mouth laughed and nodded his head. Her and Mouth walked side by side, heading to Karen's Cafe.

* * *

Lucas walked to his mom's cafe. He knew Karen would be there, and he always loved to hang out there after a long day. He walked in and stopped in his tracks. Peyton Sawyer was sitting at a table, laughing at something his old friend, Mouth, said. Mouth looked his way and called him over.

"Luke!"

"Hey, Mouth," Lucas said walking over. "It's been awhile, huh? I didn't know you knew Peyton."

"We bumped into each other a little while ago, actually. We just got to talking, and we decided to come here for coffee," Mouth explained.

"Oh. Well... I gotta run, but I'll see you later, OK?" Lucas asked, wanting to leave as soon as possible.

"What? You just got here!" Mouth exclaimed in disbelief. "Come on. Sit down." He pulled back the chair next to him and motioned for Lucas to sit down. "We should really catch up."

Lucas looked at Peyton, who said nothing the whole time. She looked back. "You know, I should really get going. I need to-" Lucas started.

"No. It's fine. I'll go," Peyton said, standing up. She knew she was the reason Lucas didn't want to stay. Before Lucas could protest, she was out the door.

"What's your problem, Man?" Mouth asked.

"Mouth, you don't even know what happened, OK?" Lucas said, trying not to feel bad about making Peyton leave.

"Actually, I do. Peyton told me everything."

"Really? Did she tell you that she called me an ugly loser that never stood a chance with her?" Lucas said, not wanting to seem like the bad guy. Mouth just shook his head. "She would leave that part out."

"And you don't leave things out?" Mouth questioned.

"What?"

"How come you never told me about talking to Peyton. I would have been there for you, Man. Maybe we aren't as close as we used to be, or maybe you have Skills now, but you should have still talked to me about it. You asking Peyton out...That's a really big deal."

"I didn't tell anyone," Lucas said, feeling guilty.

"Not even Skills?" Lucas stayed silent. "Yea. That's what I thought." Mouth stood up and began to walk out of Karen's Cafe.

"Mouth, wait," Lucas yelled.

"Lucas, I know Peyton may have hurt you, but she's not that person anymore. I know for a fact that the Peyton Sawyer form elementary school would never have spoken more than five words to me. Look at her now. We just had a 20-minute conversation. I'm telling you, Luke, she's different."

"Not from what Rachel told me."

"Rachel? Who's Rachel?" Mouth asked confusedly.

"She's a new girl."

"Well what makes you think Rachel isn't lying?"

"She wouldn't do that."

"Lucas, you just said she's new here. You don't even know her!"

"I know her more than you do. I also know that she wouldn't lie to me. Not about something like that."

"Whatever, Luke. I'm out of here." Mouth stormed off, never looking back.

* * *

Lucas sighed and sat down at the counter. He couldn't believe that that was the first conversation he and Mouth had had in years, and it went so horribly. He turned around at the sound of the door opening, hoping it was Mouth coming back so he could apologize. He saw that it was Rachel and smiled.

"Hi, Lucas!" Rachel said excitedly. "One of the players on the team told me your mom owned this place. I was kind of hoping you'd be here."

"I spend a lot of time here, but I usually hang out in the back. It's a lot more private," Lucas told her. She nodded her head, waiting for him to say more. "Well, it's good to see you. Here, take a seat."

"Thanks!" Rachel said, sitting down on the chair Lucas pulled up.

"Well, what brings you here? I mean, why were you looking for me?" Lucas asked. "Not that it isn't nice to see you. I'm just...curious."

"I actually wanted to talk to you about something." Rachel looked at Lucas and smiled.

"OK. What is it?"

"I don't know if this is a little early, and I don't even know you that well-" Rachel rambled.

"Rachel," Lucas interrupted. "What is it?"

"Do you wanna go out? Like on a date?" she asked.

Lucas thought about it. He didn't know why he was even hesitating. Rachel was a beautiful girl who was really nice. Peyton popped into his mind, and he wondered if he made a mistake about her. He shook his head and focused back on Rachel. "Of course. How's tomorrow?"

"Great! Well, I'm gonna go now. Bye, Lucas!" Rachel said, leaving Karen's Cafe.

As soon as she left, Haley walked in. She looked around and spotted Lucas.

"Haley!" Lucas called, happily. "What are you doing here?"

"I was hoping I could get a job. I kinda need the extra money. What are you doing here?" Haley said, equally happy to see him.

"My mom owns the place. I could put in a good word for you."

"Luke, that would be great! Thank you so much," Haley said, giving him a hug.

"No problem." Lucas laughed. "I think you are exactly the kind of person Karen's Cafe needs. Here, sit."

"Was that just Rachel?" Haley asked. "I didn't really get a good look at her face."

"Actually, it was. She came here to see me."

"Why?" Haley asked, curious.

"She kind of asked me out..."

"Lucas! Please tell me you said no!" Haley told him. When he didn't respond, she shook her head. "Lucas!"

"What? I didn't do anything wrong."

"You didn't do anything right either! You shouldn't have agreed."

"Why?"

"Because! You could do so much better."

"Haley! You don't even know her!"

"I don't have to! I know her type."

"And what type might that be?"

"Slut!" Haley shouted. Lucas stared at her. "What? Did you not see her at practice?"

"That doesn't mean anything. She's a good person," Lucas told her. Haley let out a deep breath and nodded her head. "Look, I don't want to fight with you. Just don't judge Rachel."

Haley looked at him and sighed. "Ok, Luke. You're right. I don't know her. I should not have judged her so easily."

"Thank you," Lucas said sincerely. "Now let's talk about you trying out for the squad."

"Oh, God!" Haley said, covering her face.

Lucas laughed. He knew Haley and him would get along just fine.

* * *

Peyton swung open her door, surprised to see Mouth standing there.

"Mouth?"

"Hi, Peyton," Mouth said, giving a slight wave.

"Did you follow me home?" Peyton asked.

"No! I wouldn't do that. I live down the street." He pointed down the street at a white house.

"Really? That's cool." Peyton wondered why she didn't know that. "So... what are you doing here, Mouth?"

"I just came to see how you were. I didn't want you to leave earlier. You're different than I expected."

"Thanks. I'm really trying to be," Peyton said, giving Mouth a smile.

"What do you mean?" Mouth asked.

"I just... There's this girl, Rachel, and she's turning me into a bitch again. She's a complete slut and she has her eyes set on Lucas. I know I shouldn't care, but I can't help but feel jealous," Peyton admitted.

"You like Lucas?" Mouth said loudly, completely in shock. Peyton nodded her head. "Wow! I did not see that coming." He took a deep breath, and none of them said anything. "Wait. Rachel... Why does that name sound familiar?"

"I don't think you'd know her. She's new here," Peyton said.

"Now I remember! Lucas said they were friends when we were in Karen's Cafe," Mouth said, glad he remembered. "But if you like Lucas, then why did you tell Rachel that he was a loser that never stood a chance with you?"

"What? When did I say that?" Peyton asked.

"Lucas told me that Rachel told him you said that," Mouth explained.

"That Bitch! I never said that! Oh my God! That's what Lucas was talking about earlier. I should have known Rachel was lying," Peyton yelled. "No wonder Lucas didn't want me to be there at Karen's Cafe. He doesn't think that I changed. He thinks that I'm still the same person I was in eighth grade."

"Well, you gotta tell him the truth. Lucas needs to know," Mouth advised. "I promise I have your back if he doesn't want to believe you. He'll believe me for sure."

"Thanks, Mouth," Peyton said. She pulled him into a hug, taking Mouth completely off guard. "I think this is the start of a beautiful friendship!"

* * *

Lucas had his first class with Nathan, making sure to stay calm. The more he got to know Nathan, the less he liked. When he had his second class with Haley, they just got closer. He was trying to hide his happiness as he walked to his last class of the day. He hated that the thought of seeing Peyton made him so happy. Especially after what she had said about him.

He walked into class and spotted her right away. It looked like she was writing something in a book. He walked over and saw that she was drawing in a sketchbook.

"You're pretty good," Lucas complemented, startling her.

Peyton looked up from her sketchbook and smiled. "Thanks." She closed it and put it away.

"Why did you put it away. It was coming out pretty awesome," Lucas said honestly.

"I don't really like people watching me draw."

"Oh." Lucas looked down.

"Why are you talking to me anyway?" Peyton asked. "After what happened last night, I thought you hated me."

"Yea... I'm really sorry about that. I just... I can't let what you told Rachel go."

"Luke-" Peyton started.

"It's fine, Peyton." Lucas interrupted. "I had a talk with Haley last night, and realized I should just let it go. I want to try to be your friend."

"I want to be your friend too." Peyton said with a huge smile on her face. The truth was, she wanted to be so much more than that with him, but she'd settle for just friends right now.

"Great." Lucas said locking eyes with Peyton.

"Lucas," Rachel called, seeing the eye contact between Lucas and Peyton.

Lucas turned around and saw Rachel. "Oh. Hi, Rachel. What's up?"

"I just wanted to say," Rachel started, stepping closer to Peyton so she could hear. "that I'm really excited about our date tonight."

"Date?" Peyton asked.

Rachel turned around, satisfied that Peyton had heard her. "Yeah. Lucas didn't tell you? We have a date tonight. Well, 'bye Peyton. Bye, Lucas." She bent down and gave Lucas a kiss on the cheek before walking back to Chase, her partner.

"So...you have a date with Rachel..." Peyton said, looking down.

"Yeah," Lucas muttered.

"Lucas, there's something you should know."


	5. Chapter 5

"Ok. What is it?" Lucas asked, suddenly getting serious.

"Um... I just wanted to say that...," Peyton trailed off. "I'm really sorry about what I said."

"Thank you," Lucas said. He smiled at her and she just had to smile back.

* * *

"So, I met Rachel today," Mouth said. He and Peyton were walking home.

"Really? How?" Peyton asked. She had just found out today that her and Mouth had third period together, and she was so happy. They spent lunch together, and he met Brooke. They seemed to get along well. Peyton was happy she had Mouth because Brooke was walking home with the girls from try outs from now on.

"Well, I was trying to get to my fifth period class, and we bumped into each other. She looked at me, called me a nerd, and pushed me to the side." Mouth said. "I see why you don't like her."

"Yeah, and that's nothing," Peyton said, angry that Rachel would do that to Mouth.

"I can't wait until you tell Lucas about her little lie," Mouth spat, putting extra emphasis on the word 'little'.

"Actually, I don't want to do it anymore," Peyton admitted.

"What?!" Mouth exclaimed.

"Today Lucas told me that he wants to be my friend, and now I just feel too guilty to go through with it," Peyton explained.

"Don't you want to take her down? You know the one thing she wants is Lucas, and once you tell him the truth, she's screwed."

"They're already going on a date tonight."

"Then we need to tell him tomorrow, before he gets in too deep."

"Don't, Mouth. If he wants to be with her, then he should. She told one little lie. No big deal. I know she's a total bitch, but we gotta let him realize that on his own."

Mouth didn't say anything. Finally, he nodded his head. "Yeah. You're right."

"Well, I have some more news," Peyton began excitedly.

"Really? What?"

"I made the squad!" she announced excitedly.

"Peyton, that's great! Who else made it?"

"Brooke, Haley, Bevin, some other girls, and Rachel." Peyton said Rachel's name bitterly.

"Do you know who made the basketball team?" Mouth asked curiously.

"Nathan, Chase, Jake, some other boys and Lucas." This time, Peyton said the last name happily.

All Mouth said was, "Interesting."

* * *

Lucas and Rachel walked into the theater and sat down. They had decided to go to the movies on their first date. As they waited for the movie to begin, Lucas found himself with nothing to say. Rachel didn't seem to notice though. She kept talking on and on about anything she could think of. Eventually, Lucas just stopped listening and nodded his head every once in awhile. Again, Rachel didn't seem to notice.

When the movie was over, Lucas and Rachel stepped out of the theater. They walked, Lucas leading the way.

"Where are we going?" Rachel questioned.

"I know this little ice cream stand not to far from here. My mom used to take me there when I was little. I was hoping we could get some ice cream," Lucas explained.

"OK. I don't have a curfew so I can stay out as late as I want."

"Well, I do have a curfew," Lucas said.

"That sucks," Rachel told him.

Lucas didn't say anything back. They walked on until they reached the ice cream stand, Rachel talking the whole way.

* * *

"I think you should take that bitch down!" Brooke exclaimed.

She had come over to Peyton's to spend the night. Peyton had filled her in on everything already, and Brooke wasn't too happy about her decision to not tell Lucas.

"Brooke, I just wouldn't feel right about it," Peyton tried to explain.

"So? She's a bitch and she's gonna keep lying unless someone does something about it! You gotta tell Lucas. He deserves someone better," Brooke said. Peyton stayed quiet. "Someone like you..."

"What?!" Peyton looked at Brooke in surprise.

"You like him, he used to like you and probably still does. It could work out."

"Yeah, well he doesn't like me anymore. We are barely becoming friends."

"Yes, because you were such a bitch to him last year and he's still not over it. You just gotta show him that you've changed. You guys are so perfect for each other, it's not even funny."

"Whatever." Peyton rolled her eyes at Brooke and Brooke laughed.

"You know it's true!"

"Maybe just a little...," Peyton admitted. She smiled at Brooke as Brooke giggled happily.

* * *

Lucas walked Rachel to her doorstep. The date had gotten a little better after the ice cream. Lucas had managed to talk to Rachel about things he liked, and she listened. Now their date was over, and they were saying goodbye.

"So...," Lucas trailed off.

"So...," Rachel repeated.

"Goodnight?" Lucas suggested.

"Yea, goodnight, Lucas. See you at school tomorrow." Rachel wanted to kiss Lucas. She had been wanting to do it all night. Since they were sharing this silent moment, she figured it was the perfect time to do it. She leaned in to kiss Lucas, but he pulled back. "What?"

"Nothing. It's just that I've never-"

"Oh! You've never had your first kiss!" Rachel realized. "I knew a guy wouldn't give up an opportunity to kiss me for no reason." She thought for a moment. "Well, that's OK. Let's just get it over with now. That way you won't have to worry about it anymore." She tried to kiss him again, but just like before, he pulled away.

"I'm sorry, Rachel, but that's not how I am. I don't want to just get it over with. I want it to mean something." Lucas looked at Rachel seriously.

"OK... Well, when will you be ready?" Rachel asked.

"I don't know. The time has to be right and with the right person."

"Am I the right person?" Rachel asked confidently.

"I don't know," Lucas answered honestly. "Ask again after a few more dates."

"OK."

"Bye, Rachel," Lucas said, giving her a hug.

"Bye, Lucas."

* * *

"So, how as your date last night?" Peyton asked Lucas in class.

Lucas hesitated and Peyton noticed. "It was good. I'm planning on asking her out for another one."

"Really?" Peyton couldn't believe he had actually had a good time. He nodded his head. "Well, that's great, Luke. You deserve to be happy." _Even if it's not with me,_ she added to herself.

"Thanks, Peyton," he said, giving her a smile that she returned. He looked down at her things and noticed one of his favorite books. "Hey, are you reading that?"

"Yeah. Does it make me a complete nerd that I read for fun?" Peyton asked, scrunching up her nose.

Lucas laughed. "No. I love to read for fun. That is actually one of my favorite books." He motioned towards her book.

"Are you serious? It's one of my favorites too! I've read this book cover to cover at least 10 times." Peyton was happy to find that they had this in common. Their already wide smiles grew wider.

"You're different," Lucas whispered, looking at her in the eyes. His smile disappeared and was replaced by seriousness.

"What?" Peyton said, still keeping eye contact. Peyton's smile left too, leaving her confused.

"You're nothing like how I remember you. You're...," Lucas trailed off, searching his mind for the right word. "Amazing."

Peyton's eyes flashed in surprise and Lucas smiled. She smiled back and he felt as though he had won some sort of contest. He found himself leaning towards her, unable to resist. She got closer to him and their faces were mere inches apart from each other.

"What's going on here?!" someone shouted, interrupting their moment.

Lucas looked up and saw Rachel. His breath caught in his throat, his mind scrambling for a response. "Um..."

"Why did it look like you were just about to kiss Peyton?" Rachel asked, arms to her side, sounding pissed off.

Lucas didn't say anything and was surprised when Peyton did.

"I thought there was something in my eye. Lucas was just checking it out. Right, Luke?" Peyton looked over at him.

"Uh, yeah." He looked at Rachel who seemed to consider that possibility. "There's nothing there," he added to Peyton, trying to make that story seem more legit.

After awhile, Rachel spoke. "Alright. I'm sorry for accusing you of almost doing something totally ridiculous. I know you would never kiss Peyton. That would be funny. Right, Peyton?"

Peyton's was about to tell Rachel what almost happened, but one look at Lucas's worried face made her stop. "Yeah. Right."

Rachel seemed satisfied by that response. "I'm gonna go to my seat now, then. See you after school?" she asked Lucas.

Lucas nodded and watched her walk away. He let out a breath of relief and looked at Peyton. "That was close!"

"Yeah," Peyton agreed.

"Thanks for-"

"Were you?" Peyton asked.

"What?" Lucas knew what she meant, he was just surprised that she had asked him.

"Were you going to kiss me?" Peyton repeated the question, being a little clearer this time.

Lucas didn't say anything for awhile. Then he looked at her and said, "Maybe"

They didn't talk about it anymore after that, but Peyton knew he meant yes.

* * *

"Are you serious?" Mouth asked Peyton after she told him what had happened earlier. They were walking home and Mouth was thrilled to hear this story.

"Yep." Peyton smiled.

"What happened after that?" Mouth was curious to know.

"Nothing much. We just talked some more about books and art. I think he was being a little more cautious considering Rachel was less than five feet away. I'm still surprised she bought that story. I mean having something in your eye is like the oldest one in the book," Peyton said.

"Well, I don't think it's gonna be much longer before he ends things with Rachel, if he hasn't already."

"You think?" Peyton asked hopefully.

"Yeah. Just keep being yourself and I'm sure he'll be yours."

"Thanks, Mouth. I'm really glad we became friends. I don't know what I'd do without you." Peyton gave Mouth a hug.

"You're welcome."

* * *

Peyton and Mouth were sitting at their regular table at lunch, along with Brooke. Peyton had already told Brooke what had happened earlier and Brooke was ecstatic. Unfortunately, nothing had happened with Lucas in her class today, due to Rachel being so close.

Peyton pulled out her iPod, remembering she had just downloaded some new music. "You guys have to hear this new CD I got yesterday!" She exclaimed to Brooke and Mouth.

They had already grown used to her doing this. Brooke more than Mouth considering how long they've been friends. Peyton placed an earphone in each of their ears. As usual, the songs were great and Brooke and Mouth loved them.

"So, what do you think?" Peyton asked.

"I love it!" they said at the same time.

"I knew you would," Peyton said. She took the earphones back and placed one in her ear. She entered her own little world, as she usually did when she listened to music.

"What are you listening to?" Lucas asked, coming up behind Peyton and knocking her back into reality.

Brooke and Mouth shared a look and smiled.

"Um... just something I downloaded last night," Peyton said. "Wanna hear?" She offered a headphone to him.

"Sure." He gratefully took the headphone, placing himself next to her, and putting it in his ear. Within moments, he recognized the song. "You like Dashboard Confessional?"

"You know who they are?" she asked, surprised.

"Are you kidding? I have all of their albums!" Lucas told her.

"Wow! Finally someone who's heard of the same groups as Peyton," Brooke said, causing them to look at her. She gave a nervous laugh and then turned her attention back to Mouth.

Lucas turned back to Peyton. "What other kind of groups do you listen to?"

"There so many," Peyton admitted. "You should see my collection sometime."

"I'd love to," Lucas said locking eyes and smiling at her.

"Luke!" someone yelled ruining the moment once again.

Lucas looked up and saw Nathan. "Hey, Nate. What's up?"

"Nothing. It's just been awhile since we've hung out. You coming to practice?" Nathan asked.

"Yep. I'll be there," Lucas said, wanting him to leave as soon as possible.

"Cool," Nathan said, not sounding interested at all. He looked at Peyton. "Will I be seeing you out there?"

Peyton rolled her eyes at him. It was clear he was checking her out. "Yeah."

"Good. Maybe we can get something to eat after?" Nathan suggested, not getting the hint that Peyton wasn't interested.

Lucas watched Peyton closely, praying she wouldn't agree to that.

"No thanks."

"What? Why not?" Nathan wasn't used to girls rejecting him.

"Because I'm not interested, OK?" Peyton said annoyed.

Nathan looked at her for a second, until he finally walked away.

Peyton looked back at Lucas and saw that he was smiling at her. "What?" she asked.

"Nothing."


	6. Chapter 6

**Here is another chapter. Enjoy :)**

* * *

"Lucas!" Rachel called.

Lucas was walking home and Rachel was coming up from behind him. He turned around and looked at her after hearing his name being called. "Hey, Rachel. What's up?"

"Nothing. I just wanted to make plans for our next date." Rachel smiled at him brightly.

"Oh. Well, I probably won't be free for a while. You know how busy school can make you," Lucas said casually. The truth was, he was totally free for a date. School had just started and things weren't that bad yet. He just didn't want to have another date with Rachel.

He was starting to have feelings for Peyton, and it was confusing him more than ever. He thought he was done with her, but she's changed into a whole different person; one he likes. Even if these feelings for Peyton weren't occurring, he still would not want to date Rachel. She's becoming the person Peyton used to be, if she wasn't already to begin with.

Rachel looked at him, disappointed. Suddenly, her disappointment turned into happiness. "How about I help you get your work done? I barely have any work to do, and it would give me a chance to see you. I could come over to your house and we could get the work done twice as fast. Maybe we can even get a little more than just work done." Rachel winked at Lucas.

"That's a really good idea, Rachel, but it won't work. When I do my work, I have to be alone or I get distracted. I really need to get this work done too." Lucas looked at Rachel, feeling a little sorry about turning down her idea. "But, we can still hang out at school."

"I know we can hang out at school, Lucas, but the point of being in a relationship is so that we can hang out outside of school."

"Well, then maybe a relationship isn't the best thing for us right now," Lucas said. He saw Rachel's eyes widen.

"No," Rachel said simply.

"No?"

"No. I won't end this over something that stupid. I'll find a way to make this work. Don't worry, Lucas." She walked away, not giving Lucas a chance to say anything else.

Lucas watched her walk away, annoyed that she wouldn't just let things end. It wasn't like they were anything serious. He took a deep breath and kept on walking home. He was passing by his mom's cafe, when he saw Peyton and Mouth through the window.

Peyton was laughing at something Mouth said and Lucas smiled. She looked so beautiful and Lucas couldn't help but stare. He walked inside and walked up to them.

"Hey, guys," Lucas greeted, only looking at Peyton.

"Hey, Lucas," Mouth responded.

"Hey, Luke," Peyton said, standing up and bringing him in for a hug.

Lucas was surprised, but happy by this action. He wrapped his arms around her, loving the feeling of her around him. He didn't realize how long they had stayed like that, comforted by the warm embrace, until Mouth gave an awkward cough. They pulled apart and Peyton sat down again. She smiled at Lucas and he smiled back.

"Have a seat, Luke," she offered.

Lucas sat down next to Peyton. He looked at her. "So, how was your day?"

"Pretty good. What about you?" Peyton asked.

"Well, seeing you here just made it a whole lot better." He saw Peyton smile at his words. They locked eyes. Mouth gave another awkward cough, and Peyton broke the eye contact.

"Hey, Peyton, I'm gonna go make a phone call. Just letting you know in case I'm missed," Mouth said. "Which I highly doubt I will be," he muttered.

Peyton gave him a look, hearing his last comment. "Ok, Mouth."

Mouth walked out of Karen's Cafe. He took out his phone and dialed Brooke's number. It rang once until she answered.

"Hey, Mouth," Brooke said.

"Hey, Brooke. Are you home right now?" he asked.

"No. I'm barely leaving school. I did not know you could get detention for asking a teacher if she shops at Goodwill."

Mouth laughed. "Well, now you know." He remembered why he called her to begin with and spoke again. "Is there any chance you can meet me somewhere?"

"There might be... Where exactly is it that you want to meet?" Brooke asked.

"Karen's Cafe. You know it?"

"Yeah. Peyton and I used to eat there all the time when we were kids," Brooke remembered. "Wait. Why do you want to meet there?"

"Well, me and Peyton were there talking, when in comes Lucas."

"Lucas, huh?" Brooke asked with a smile.

"Yep. Peyton invited him to sit with us and he seemed a little more than thrilled to do it. After watching them act like they were in love for a couple minutes, my presence becoming non-existent, I decided to call you. I think you should come and see this."

"OK, yeah. I'm almost there," Brooke replied.

"What? I barely told you where we were meeting," Mouth said in astonishment.

"Yeah, but I'm a quick walker. Anyways, is there anything else that I missed?"

"They did share an extremely long hug," Mouth responded. He turned his head and saw Brooke approaching. He hung up the phone. "Wow! That was fast!"

"Thanks," Brooke said. "Now where are the two love birds."

"Right over there," Mouth pointed out.

"Great." Brooke opened the door and walked towards them. Mouth followed her. "Hey, Peyton. Lucas."

"Hey, Brooke," Lucas said.

"Hey, Brooke. What are you doing here?" Peyton asked.

"Mouth just invited me over. We need to discuss some things," Brooke said with a smile.

"OK. Well, I'll let you get to it. I have to start heading home now. Bye, everyone," Peyton called. She stood up and started to walk away.

"Peyton, wait. Let me walk you home," Lucas offered.

"No. It's fine. I don't live to far from here," Peyton said.

"Look, I insist. Your house isn't too far from mine, and even if it was, I wouldn't let you walk home by yourself," Lucas insisted.

"Luke-" Peyton tried to argue.

"Enough, Peyton. I'm walking you home and that's all there is to it. You can try to argue, but it would be pointless," Lucas told her.

"Alright then," Peyton gave in once she realized Lucas was serious. "Let's go."

They left Karen's Cafe. Lucas linked his arm with Peyton once they were outside and they smiled at each other.

* * *

Brooke took a seat next to Mouth and smiled. "I am so glad you called me, Mouth. It is so obvious these two are heads over heels for each other. We just got to find a way to get them together."

"But as long as Rachel's involved, we can't," Mouth pointed out.

"Says who?" Brooke asked.

Mouth stared at her until he realized she was serious. "Brooke, I am so glad we became friends."

"Thank you, Mouth. Me too. Now let's try to think of ways that we can get them together..."

Mouth tried to think of something, but his mind came up blank. It didn't matter though, because within seconds, Brooke had an idea.

"I got it! How about I throw a party?" Brooke suggested.

"A party?" Mouth asked.

"Yes! It would be perfect. I have a hot tub and my parents are never home."

"That would work, but how would that help get Lucas and Peyton together?"

"Well, the party would have to be small; just us. It would give us a chance to get them together."

"That might just work. But who is _us_ exactly?" Mouth asked.

"Probably Peyton, Lucas, Nathan, Haley, me, you, and Rachel," Brooke listed.

"Rachel?"

"Yeah. She's gotta be there when they get together."

"Alright. Well, you can invite everyone tomorrow, and I'll buy the snacks and drinks."

"Great! Party's tomorrow night," Brooke confirmed excitedly.

* * *

Peyton was walking up to the school by herself, reading a text from Brooke. It said:

_Need to talk. Meet me at regular spot._

Peyton sighed and wondered what it could be this time. She knew her and Mouth were up to something. It was obvious last night. Peyton put her phone away, not watching where she was going. Before she knew it, she was falling, having tripped over a football thrown by Nathan. She was about to hit the ground, but two strong arms wrapped around her, stopping the fall. They pulled her close and Peyton took a second to catch her breath.

She pulled away and saw that it was Lucas. She smiled at him, still not leaving his arms.

"Thanks," she whispered.

"Anytime." He smiled at her and her breath caught in her throat.

Any doubts she had before about him wanting to kiss her all went away. She was 100% positive he was going to do it right now. His face was separated from hers by the smallest of gaps. He was looking at her lips, and he brought one of his hands up to cup her face. He licked his lips and began to close the gap.

"Hey, Luke!" Nathan called.

Lucas jumped, the moment being interrupted once again, and looked at Nathan. "Yeah, Nate? What is it?"

"Can you throw me my ball?" Nathan asked. He motioned towards the ball that was at Lucas's feet.

"Yeah. Sure, Man." Lucas let go of Peyton, and picked up the football. He threw it at Nathan and Nathan caught it.

"Thanks, Man." Nathan began to walk away, but turned back around. "My sister's looking for you." He smiled and walked away.

Lucas watched him walk away, angry that he had interrupted their moment. He also hated the mention to Rachel. He wanted to end things as soon as possible with her.

"Great. You guys are together!" Brooke said, coming up from behind Lucas and Peyton. "Though I'm not surprised," she muttered.

"Hey, Brooke," Peyton said, giving her a hug. She had heard her, but chose to ignore it. "What is it that you wanted to talk to me about?"

"Actually, it involves both of you. I'm having a party tonight, and it's required that you guys be there. It's nothing big, but still," Brooke told them.

"OK. I can go," Peyton agreed with a shrug.

"Awesome. What about you, Lucas?" Brooke asked.

"Yeah, I'll be there."

"Yay! Alright. Well, I'm off to invite the other guests. Have fun!" Brooke walked away, thrilled that the plan was working out so well.

Peyton looked at Lucas. "I've got to head to first period, but I'll see you tonight?" she asked.

"Yes. See you there." Lucas gave her an awkward wave and walked off in search of Rachel. He needed to end things now.

* * *

Lucas didn't see Rachel all day. She wasn't in his class with Peyton. The class didn't go so well for him anyway. Him and Peyton didn't really talk due to the awkwardness. He walked outside, glad that the school day was finally over. He saw Rachel and went to talk to her.

"Hey, Rachel. Missed you in last period," he said.

"Yeah. Sorry about that. Nathan and I ditched. I was here the rest of the day though," Rachel explained.

"Why did you come back then?" Lucas asked.

"Well, I wanted to talk to you about something."

"Yeah. Me too," Lucas said. He waited for Rachel to say something, but she didn't. "Listen, Rachel. I think we should break up."

"What?!" Rachel screamed, completely caught off guard. "What are you talking about?!"

"I'm sorry. It's just not working out. I thought you were going to say the same thing. I thought that's what you wanted to talk to me about," Lucas said.

"No! I was going to ask if you were picking me up for Brooke's party tonight. She invited me this morning and she told me that you were going too." Rachel paused and looked at Lucas. "I can't believe you're breaking up with me! I thought we were doing so well!"

Lucas suddenly felt guilty. He didn't want to make Rachel feel bad. It just wasn't working out between them. He looked at her. "I'm so sorry, Rachel. I hope we can still be friends."

"Lucas, is there someone else?" Rachel asked.

"What?"

"Are you breaking up with me because there's someone else you want to be with?" Rachel repeated.

"No. Of course not. I'm doing this because I'm not happy in this relationship," Lucas replied honestly. He had realized that he didn't want to be with Rachel regardless of his feelings for Peyton a long time ago. He was telling the truth.

"Really?"

"Really," Lucas said.

"So this has nothing to do with Peyton?" Rachel asked.

"What? Why would you think that?"

"Well, Nathan and I ditched last period because he said he needed to talk to me about something he saw this morning. Someone that happened between you and Peyton." She looked at Lucas and saw that he realized what she was talking about. "I told him he must have seen it wrong, but now I need you to be honest with me. Did you almost kiss her?"

Lucas looked at Rachel. "Yes. But that's not why I'm breaking up with you."

"Stop lying to me, Lucas! Just admit that you're breaking up with me to be with Peyton!" Rachel yelled.

"Rachel, that's not why," Lucas denied, trying to calm her down. "I swear to you."

"I can't believe you aren't even man enough to tell me the truth!" Rachel said. "Bye, Lucas." Rachel walked away, not saying another word to Lucas.

* * *

Peyton was surprised to find out she was the last one to arrive to the party. Everyone was already in the hot tub when Brooke answered the door to her. Peyton changed into her bikini and walked outside to join the others. She blushed when she saw Lucas smiling at her, obviously approving of her choice of swimwear. She turned around and saw Rachel staring at her with hate in her eyes. It was then that she realized how thick the tension in there was. She stepped into the hut tub, sitting in between Lucas and Brooke.

Mouth was sitting next to Haley, Haley was sitting next to Nathan, Nathan was sitting next to Rachel, Rachel was sitting next to Brooke, and Peyton was sitting next to Lucas who was sitting by Mouth. Brooke looked around and smiled.

"OK, everybody. How about we start off tonight with a game?" Brooke asked.

"What game?" Rachel questioned.

"Truth or Dare. Or maybe just dare because nobody really tells the truth anymore," Brooke answered. "Everybody in?" They all nodded. "Great. I'll go first." Brooke took a moment to look around the group. Finally, her eyes landed on Haley. "Haley, I dare you to... kiss Nathan."

Haley looked at Brooke in surprise, along with Nathan. She turned her attention to Nathan and kissed his lips. The kiss was more than just a kiss and everyone saw that. When they pulled apart, they gave each other a look. Lucas saw that and gave Haley a questioning look. She gave him a weak smile and looked away. Nathan acted as if nothing had happened and that pissed Lucas off. If he was in a relationship with Haley, he should not be embarrassed about it.

"Nice job, Tutor Girl," Brooke complemented, clapping at Haley.

"Tutor Girl?" Haley questioned.

"Yeah. You work in the tutor center, right?" Brooke asked. Haley nodded. "Well, I've decided to name you Tutor Girl."

"Thanks, I guess," Haley said. "Alright. I guess it's my turn. Lucas, I dare you to call up Dan and call him an asshole."

Lucas widened his eyes at Haley. "Hales, that's not fair." He regretted telling Haley about that now.

"Wait. Who's Dan?" Peyton asked curiously.

"He's my father. He abandoned me as a child, leaving my mom to raise me alone with help from my uncle, Keith. To this day, he still won't admit I'm his son," Lucas said.

"Then what are you waiting for?" Peyton asked. "Call him up and call him what he is!"

Lucas laughed. "Alright. You guys are just lucky that I have his number." Lucas grabbed his phone and searched his contacts. He found Dan's number and hit 'call'. Dan answered on the fourth ring.

"This is Dan Scott," he said.

"Hey, Dan. This is your son, Lucas. I'm just calling to inform you on how big of an asshole you are. I hope you have a good night." Lucas hung up and they clapped.

"I'm liking how this game is going so far!" Brooke said. "Lucas, now it's your turn."

"Wait, Lucas. Does Dan happen to be the owner of Dan Scott Motors?" Rachel asked.

"Yeah. Why?" Lucas asked.

"Nothing. It's just a small world. The other night I walked in on my mom with a guy. When he left my mom told me that she went into Dan Scott Motors to buy a car and they ended up going back to our house. She told me he owned the place," Rachel explained.

"Wow. That's something I could have gone the rest of my life without knowing," Lucas said awkwardly.

"Just thought you would find that interesting," Rachel said. "Anyways, continue with your turn."

"Thanks, Rachel." Lucas looked around the group. He remembered how Nathan acted with Haley earlier. "Nathan, I dare you to kiss the girl you think is the hottest in this hot tub."

All attention turned to Nathan. He looked at Lucas. "Fine." He moved across the tub and got close to Peyton.

Lucas had hate in his eyes. He was angry not only because of the hurt look on Haley's face, but also the fact that Nathan was going to kiss the girl of _his_ dreams. Peyton looked sickened to even be so close to Nathan.

Instead of kissing Peyton though, Nathan moved next to her ear. "Sorry, Peyton. I'm over you." He moved back and kissed Haley full on the lips. Everyone gasped in surprise.

"OK. What did we miss? When did this happen?" Brooke asked.

"Well, I didn't want to tell anybody, but I've been getting tutored. My parents told me that if I didn't get at least a B in all of my classes, then I wasn't aloud to play on the basketball team. Haley got chosen to be my tutor and we got really close. It sort of just happened. But, I don't regret any of it," Nathan answered. He gave Haley a quick kiss.

"Wow, that's really sweet, Nate," Brooke said.

"Yeah. Well, we weren't planning on telling anybody until we were sure it was serious, but thanks to Lucas, I guess that won't be necessary," Nathan said.

"I'm sorry, Man," Lucas apologized.

"Whatever," Nathan replied. "Now it's my turn. Rachel, I dare you to kiss Lucas."

Lucas looked at Rachel, praying that she wouldn't do it. She smiled at him and began to move towards him. As she was about to kiss his lips, he turned his head so that she ended up kissing his cheek. Everybody got quiet and Rachel moved back to her spot, clearly offended.

"Alright, my turn," Rachel said, recovering quickly. "Peyton, I dare you to kiss Lucas."

Lucas looked at Rachel, then at Peyton. Peyton hesitantly leaned in to Lucas. She searched his eyes, making sure it was OK. Lucas smiled at Peyton, letting her know that it was. She got close and gave him a quick peck. Just from that, she felt a jolt of electricity. She knew he felt it too by the look in his eyes.

Suddenly, he grabbed her hands, pulling her onto his lap. He placed his hands behind her ears and crashed his lips onto hers. Her hands moved to hold his face as she kissed him with passion. They stayed like that for a few more seconds, the people around them disappearing. Breathless, they pulled apart. They stared into each other's eyes, still buzzed from their kiss.

"Wow!" Brooke exclaimed. "I was not expecting that!"


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey guys! I know it's been awhile since I've updated this story, but I had lost inspiration there for a bit. I'm very happy to say that some of that inspiration came back. Here is another chapter. I know it's short, but I'll update the next one as quickly as possible. Thank you for still reading this story. Enjoy!**

* * *

Lucas stared at Peyton with eyes full of intensity. He could sense her discomfort with everybody's eyes on them. He broke their eye contact and cleared his throat. He searched his mind for something to say; some kind of explanation, but he couldn't find anything. Before he could say a word, someone else broke the awkward silence.

"Lucas, you are such a jerk!" Rachel exclaimed, arising from the hot tub. "And Peyton, you are nothing but a...a... a selfish little bitch!"

"Rachel, calm down," Nathan urged.

"Shut up, Rachel," Peyton said, not wanting to deal with her at the moment. She was still happy from the kiss.

"Oh yeah? Why don't you come say that to my face?" Rachel threatened.

Peyton was about to stand up, when she realized she was still sitting on Lucas's lap. His hands were holding her to him, his eyes pleading with her to just ignore Rachel. Peyton smiled at him and took a deep breath.

"Rachel, if you're looking for a fight, you're not in luck. I'm not going to fight you," Peyton told her.

"I think it's best that you leave," Lucas said.

Rachel studied Lucas, arms crossed over her chest. She waited a few seconds, finally nodding her head and walking away. She walked into the house, slamming the door on her way in. Everyone stayed quiet for a few more seconds, letting everything sink in.

"So, you and Nathan, huh?" Lucas asked Haley.

"Yeah," Haley whispered.

"Oh don't you dare try to distract us from what we all really want to know," Brooke warned. "Are you and Peyton like a thing, or-"

"Brooke," Peyton interrupted.

"No, Peyton. As your best friend, it's my right to know."

"I'll be whatever Peyton wants me to be," Lucas directed to Brooke, while looking at Peyton.

"What do you want him to be, Peyton?" Brooke pressed, obviously growing excited.

"I don't know," Peyton admitted.

"It's OK. You don't have to decide right now," Lucas assured. "How about we go on a date first? Then you can decide."

"Alright," Peyton agreed. "Tomorrow?"

"I'll pick you up at 7:30," Lucas said, smiling.

"Well, now that that's settled, I think I'm going to go home. My parents don't like me to be out too late," Mouth said, stepping out of the hot tub.

"What?" Brooke whined. "Don't go."

"Actually, Brooke, I'm going to head out too," Nathan told her. "Haley has to go and I need to make sure my sister is alright."

"But-" Brooke protested.

"We're leaving too, Brooke. I'm walking Peyton home and I'm kind of exhausted after tonight."

"You guys suck!" Brooke yelled, watching her friends leave.

* * *

The next night, Peyton was walking side by side with Lucas. He had picked her up and they were making their way to a movie. Peyton had been waiting for this one to come out. It was about a girl who leaves her life behind to be with a boy who turns out to be gay in the end. Leaving the theater, she had to admit that she really enjoyed it. Her arm was linked with Lucas's as they walked down the street. They stopped right in front of this record store Peyton had been wanting to check out.

"Hey, can we go in here?" she asked Lucas.

"Of course," he responded. "I've been meaning to check this place out."

"Thanks," Peyton replied, walking through the door Lucas was holding open for her.

They had decided to split up, thinking they each had a different CD in mind for buying. To their surprise, they both reached for the same CD that was on one of the displays. Peyton laughed and Lucas raised his eyebrows.

"Really?" he asked. "You want the new Coldplay album?"

"Of course!" she exclaimed. "They are one of my favorite bands."

"I bet," Lucas said, flashing her a smile.

"I'll just get it next time," Peyton laughed.

"Alright," Lucas agreed.

He knew he shouldn't have been that surprised that they were both looking for the same CD. He knew they shared a very similar taste in music. They walked around the store a bit more, finding nothing they didn't already have. While Peyton was looking at the records, Lucas bought her the new Coldplay CD. He slipped it into his jacket, hiding it from sight.

"You ready?" he asked her.

"Yep," she replied.

They walked out of the store, heading towards Peyton's house. It was a quiet walk, both of them just enjoying the feeling of being with each other. When they got to Peyton's house, Lucas walked her to her doorstep. He pulled out the CD from his jacket pocket and handed it to her.

"Luke! I can't believe you bought me this. You... This... I can't accept this," she stuttered.

"Yes you can, and you will. Just promise me you'll make me a copy?" he told her.

"Yes, of course. I promise." They shared another quiet moment until Peyton spoke again. "Thank you again, Lucas. Tonight was great. I had a really nice time."

"I did too, Peyton."

"So... I've thought about it, and I want us to be more than just friends. I want you to be more than just a friend to me," Peyton decided.

"I'd love that," he admitted.

"Great," she whispered shyly. "Well, goodnight." She unlocked her door, turning the knob.

"Peyton," Lucas said, stopping her.

"Yeah?" she asked.

He pulled her to him and kissed her. It was short and sweet, but it still had sparks. When he pulled away, he smiled at her.

"Goodnight, Peyton."

* * *

**So, I've decided to jump ahead the next chapter. It was the only way I could get inspired again and keep this story going. I promise though, that it will still be Leyton. I just thought that writing them as Freshmen was going to be really hard to do since they were still so young. I'm skipping ahead two years, so that they'll be Juniors. I'm also raising the rating on this story to T. That's just a little warning. Maybe, if you guys think I should, I'll raise it to M... Well, let me know if you like that I'm jumping ahead or anything else you liked. Leave me a review even if there was something you didn't like. I welcome constructive criticism. Leave a review :)**


	8. Chapter 8

**I'm glad there are still people reading and enjoying this story. Thank you to everyone who reviewed. I would just like to say that Lucas and Peyton are not together, but still together... They are both dating other people, but there is constant flirting between them and of course, the sexual tension. Plus, in both of their relationships, the other person will complain that, 'they are not really over' the other person. I hope this makes sense. If there's anything you're confused about, I think the story should explain itself. **

**I would also like to add that Lucas and Peyton have already had sex. I just didn't want to write the sex scene between them and have it be all painful for her. This way, when they do have sex again, it will be enjoyable from beginning to end. They broke up because once they had sex, things became uncomfortable. They decided they should just be friends, even though they were still in love with each other. Read the chapter and let me know what you think.**

* * *

_Two years later..._

Lucas walked down the halls of Tree Hill High, his girlfriend of two months, Lindsey, by his side. As he turned the corner, he saw Brooke and Peyton standing by their lockers. He smiled and walked over to them. He sneaked up from behind Peyton, placing his hands over her eyes.

"Guess who it is," he told her.

The moment he touched her, she immediately knew who it was. She loved that his hands were firm, yet soft at the same time. His voice was permanently seared into her head too. She could have just said his name and have it be over with, but she decided to play along.

"Let me see...," she pondered. "Big hands." Her hands ran along his arms. "Muscular arms." She reached behind her and ran her fingers over his stomach through his shirt. "Toned abs. Ryan Gosling?" she joked.

"Very funny," he said sarcastically, bringing her into a hug.

"Thank you," she replied, surrendering herself into his arms.

"Hey, Brooke," he acknowledged once Peyton left his arms.

"What's up, Broody?" she responded, giving him a hug as well.

"Hey, everyone!" Lindsey cheerfully exclaimed. "Oh my God, Brooke! I love your shirt!"

"Thanks," Brooke laughed, looking away. "Oh look! Here comes our other friends!"

"Hey, guys," Nathan said, holding Haley's hand.

Mouth walked up with them holding Rachel's hand. They had started dating a few months ago, and everyone seemed to be fine with it. In fact, everyone was really happy for them. The other new couple in school was Brooke and Chase. Everyone thought Chase was a bad guy, but it turned out, he had a really good heart.

"Hey! How are my two favorite sisters doing?" Lucas asked, wrapping his arms around Rachel and Haley.

"Good," they simultaneously responded.

Over the course of a year, Dan had reached out to Lucas and they had rekindled their relationship. Lucas's mom married his uncle, Keith, and they had a baby together. They decided to leave Tree Hill, but Lucas refused to go. He had convinced her to let him move in with Dan, still calling her once a week to see how she was. It wasn't to long after he moved in with Dan did Rachel and Nathan's family move in with them. Their mom, Deb, was dating Dan and it had become very serious. There was more than enough room for all of them, considering Dan was one of the richest people in Tree Hill and owned one of the biggest homes.

Any feelings Rachel had for Lucas disappeared, causing them to behave like real siblings to each other. He had grown a close bond between her and Nathan. They really acted as a family. Just a month ago, Nathan and Haley got married. It came as a shock to everyone, but they were all happy for them. Lucas started calling Haley his sister after that, though he had already thought of her as one before. Dan was furious at first, but grew to accept it, announcing his engagement to Deb. Their wedding was this weekend, and they were aloud to invite whoever they liked.

"So, this weekend is the wedding. You guys want to go?" Lucas offered.

"Where's it at?" Peyton asked.

"Hawaii," Lucas said simply. He walked back over to his spot behind Peyton and next to Lindsey. Lindsey immediately grabbed Lucas's hand, but he didn't notice. "Anyone is invited. Plus, it's completely paid for."

"We already got our tickets," Haley said, hugging Nathan. "It's going to be so romantic."

"Mouth and I already got our tickets," Rachel said.

"What are we all talking about?" Chase asked, coming up from behind Brooke and placing a sweet kiss to her shoulder.

"Deb and Dan are getting married this weekend in Hawaii. You wanna go?" Brooke questioned.

"Sure."

"What about you, Peyton?" Lucas said, his front against her back. "You in?"

She tried to play it cool, but he had a control over her. She tried to think of a way to gain back some control. "I'm in," she stated. She leaned into him and could practically feel him smiling. "And I'm pretty sure Jake's in too."

"Jake?" Lucas repeated, anger in his tone. He stepped away from Peyton and she turned around to face him.

Lucas had hated Jake since the moment he started dating Peyton. Jake wasn't a bad guy, Lucas just hated him for dating Peyton. He had never been nice to him, but he was never rude either.

"You did say that anyone was invited, didn't you?" Peyton challenged Lucas to say no. "That includes Jake."

"What includes me?" Jake asked, causing Lucas to turn around.

"Lucas invited us to go to Hawaii this weekend for his Dad's wedding. Do you wanna go?" Peyton asked.

"How long are we going to be there?"

"We leave Friday afternoon and come back Monday night. It works because there's no school Monday. The whole trip is paid for," Lucas explained.

"Great. My parents are out of town on business trips this weekend anyway. They won't be back until Wednesday. Now I'll have something to do," Jake smiled. "Thanks, Luke."

"It's Lucas," Lucas corrected with a straight face.

"Right. Peyton, I'm gonna head to class now. See you later?" Jake asked.

"Yep," Peyton replied. Jake placed a kiss to her cheek and began to back away.

"So," Lucas began, gaining everyone's attention again. "I made sure to get you and Nathan separate hotel rooms, Haley."

"Nathan and I are sharing a hotel room," Haley stated. They all laughed. "What?"

"I'm just joking around. I would never keep a wife away from her husband," Lucas teased.

"Shut up," Haley laughed.

"Well, Mouth and I are sharing a room." Rachel paused. "Guess that's all we need to talk about. C'mon, Mouth. I'll let you walk me to class," Rachel joked.

"Yeah, we're leaving too," Nathan said, walking away with Haley.

"I need to go too, Babe," Chase said, kissing Brooke on the lips.

"K. See you later," Brooke called. "Yeah, we are definitely sharing a room. Bye, guys."

"You know we're sharing a room, Baby," Lindsey whispered. Peyton heard her loud and clear though. "Bye." Lindsey kissed Lucas hard and Peyton looked away.

"Yeah, bye," Lucas said, pulling away. Lindsey walked away and Lucas looked at Peyton. "Did you really have to invite Jake?"

"What?" Peyton asked, shutting her locker. "We've been dating for awhile and I wouldn't want to leave him out."

"You could have!" Lucas exclaimed.

"Really?" Peyton raised her eyebrows. "I didn't see you leaving Lindsey out."

"Well... But... That's different," Lucas stammered.

"How's it different?"

"Because it just is!" Lucas shook his head and let out a frustrated breath. "Look, let's just forget it. I'm not mad, OK? It was stupid. I did say that anyone was invited. There's not a problem with Jake going. I'm sorry."

"Thank you for not being mad," Peyton murmured.

"Peyton, you know I can never stay mad at you." Lucas smiled.

Peyton smiled back. "Walk me to class?" Peyton offered.

"Of course."

* * *

"Hey! Miss! Can I get some peanuts over here?" Brooke shouted at the attendant.

They were already on the plane to Hawaii. Everything was going well. Dan and Deb had taken an earlier flight so that they could have the hotel rooms sorted out when the kids got there. They were an hour away from Hawaii now, and they couldn't wait.

Lucas sat in his seat next to Lindsey, watching Jake. He couldn't see Peyton from his spot, but every time Jake spoke, he could hear her laugh. Lindsey was talking to Lucas about the new bikini she bought for the trip, but he wasn't even listening. All of a sudden, Jake got up and walked to the bathroom. Lucas interrupted Lindsey, saying he'd be right back. He grabbed the backpack that he had brought and sat down next to Peyton, smiling at her startled expression.

"Hey, Peyton."

"Lucas, what do you want?" she asked.

"Oh, nothing. I just wanted to see how you were doing."

"I'm fine. Now, what do you really want?"

"Is it to much to believe that a friend just wants to hang out with another friend?" Lucas asked.

"No. But you are not just a friend and you know it."

"Are you suggesting that I'm more than a friend to you, Peyton?" Lucas joked, raising his eyebrows.

"You know what I mean," she laughed, rolling her eyes.

He smiled at her laugh and wrapped his arm around the back of her chair. She shot him a look and closed her eyes. She leaned back against her seat and let out a sigh. He stared at her, amazed at how beautiful she was.

"Tired?" he asked. She nodded. "You know... I'm really looking forward to spending time with you this weekend."

"Really? And why is that?" she asked, keeping her eyes closed.

"I'm not sure. They say Hawaii is a romantic place," he casually mentioned.

"And just what do you think is gonna happen?" she asked, opening her eyes and staring into his.

"Anything can happen," he whispered, moving his head closer to hers.

She stared at his lips, looking back at him after a few seconds. He was looking at her lips as well, and she was sure he was gonna kiss her. She wanted him to do it, and she knew he wanted to do it as well. She forced herself to remember she had a boyfriend; one that was less than ten feet away. She cleared her throat and turned away. He got the message, and moved back to his side of the seat.

"Sorry about that," he awkwardly apologized.

"Sorry about what?" she asked, acting confused. He just smiled at her, and she knew that if he tried to kiss her again right now, there was no way she was going to stop him.

"Luke?" Jake asked, coming back from the bathroom.

"It's Lucas," he corrected once again.

"What are you doing in my seat?" Jake ignored his correction.

"I was just talking to Peyton. You know, catching up," Lucas replied.

"OK... Well, can I have my seat back now?" he asked.

"Actually, I think I'm gonna stay here. My seat with Lindsey is open though. She's probably a tad lonely right now. You should go and keep her company."

"I want to sit next to my girlfriend," Jake demanded. He looked to Peyton for support, but she was looking away. "Peyton?"

"Jake, it's only for an hour," she told him.

He nodded his head, realizing he wasn't going to get his seat back. "Yeah, you're right. I don't know why I'm turning it into such a big deal."

Lucas watched him take his seat next to Lindsey and shot him a smirk. Jake looked away and began to talk to Lindsey. Peyton hit Lucas on his arm and he faced her.

"Ow! What was that for?" he exclaimed.

"That was a really mean thing you made me do."

"I didn't make you do anything. You could have told me to get up if you wanted to," Lucas said.

"Whatever. I'm going to take a nap," she murmured. "If I even can with all the noise going on here. I wish I hadn't forgotten my iPod."

He wrapped his arm back around her chair again, placing a hand on her shoulder. She didn't have the energy to stop him, so she didn't. Besides, it wasn't like she was betraying Jake by doing this. Her and Lucas were just friends. She settled into his side, making herself comfortable. She closed her eyes and inhaled the scent of him. She always loved the way he smelled and that was one of the things she missed when they broke up. She felt him shuffle a little and opened her eyes. He had pulled out a mini CD player from his backpack and was offering her a headphone. She took it and put it in her ear. Once she heard the music, she smiled. Lucas was playing the Coldplay CD she had made for him all that time ago.

* * *

**I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter. I am already writing the next one. Review and I will be encouraged to finish it as quickly as possible. There is A TON of Leyton in the next chapter, so you should look forward to that. Also, I'm thinking that I should do a time jump for My Brother's Best Friend, since that inspired me to continue writing this one. What do you guys think?Anyways, leave a review :)**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey, Everybody! Here's another chapter for you! Sorry it took a little while. Hopefully I can update the next one sooner. I am just gonna answer a few questions that were asked based off of my last chapter. Fell free to skip right to the story :)**

**So, Lucas and Peyton dated the rest of freshman year, all of sophomore year, and broke up early junior year. Lucas and Lindsey have been dating for a two months now, and Jake and Peyton have been dating a few weeks. Lucas is with Lindsey, but he really wants to be with Peyton. Lucas and Lindsey are sleeping together. Peyton and Jake are kind of serious. She really likes him, but she doesn't like him in the way she does Lucas. Peyton and Jake are not sleeping together. Lucas hates Jake because he is jealous of his relationship with Peyton. Peyton doesn't like Lindsey, but she can stand her. Lindsey and Jake are not jealous of the time Lucas and Peyton spend together.**

** The one question I saw mentioned more than once was: Why was it awkward after Lucas and Peyton slept together? Guys, I hate to break it to you, but not every time is magical and perfect. They felt awkward around each other because they had taken a big step forward in their relationship. They had seen _all_ of each other. There was no going back from that. In the story, I mention how Lucas thinks it won't be awkward if they do it again. Usually, once you do it again, things become less awkward. You feel familiar with it. Soon, it's as natural as ever.**

**I'm sorry to everyone who is upset that Lucas and Peyton are no longer together. Things won't stay that way, trust me. Also, if you do not feel comfortable with Lucas and Peyton cheating on their partners, then you probably shouldn't continue reading. I am not saying anything for sure, but I am just warning you that there might be a good chance of it. Before you stop reading though, I'd like to say that Jake and Lindsey are not as innocent as you may think...**

**Sorry for the long author's note. Now, here's the story.**

* * *

"This hotel is gorgeous!" Haley exclaimed.

They were all walking into the lobby. Lucas went up to Dan, who had been waiting for them to arrive, and received the room keys. Dan went back to his room, leaving the group alone. Everyone followed Lucas as he led the way through the hotel. They were all in awe. Everywhere they looked, they saw palm trees, flowers, sand, surfers, and more. Lucas stopped on the third floor in front of the rooms. He pulled out the room keys and looked at the group.

"Alright. Mouth and Rachel, here you go," Lucas said, handing them their card. They left to their room without another word. "Nathan and Haley."

"Thanks, Luke. See you later," Nathan told him, patting him on the back.

"Brooke and Chase," Lucas continued.

"Well, I am exhausted!" Brooke fake yawned. "Chase and I are going to get some rest."

"Sure you are," Lucas said sarcastically. "Lindsey and I get this one." He handed Lindsey the key and she went into their room. "This one is for you, Peyton... and this one is for Jake."

"What?! You put us in separate rooms?!" Peyton yelled, totally freaking out.

"When everyone was requesting their rooms, you never told me that you wanted to share one with Jake," Lucas reminded, remaining calm.

"Yeah... Well... You should have just assumed," Peyton stuttered, knowing Lucas was right.

"Peyton, it's alright," Jake assured. "I don't mind."

"See? Your boyfriend seems fine with it," Lucas pointed out to her.

"I don't care! I'm not fine with it!"

"If it's really that big of a deal, I can go to the lobby and return Jake's room key. Do you want me to do that?" he asked.

"No, Lucas. There's really no need to do that. I'm going to go put my stuff away in my room," Jake told him, disappearing into his room.

"I cannot believe you, Lucas!" Peyton shouted, walking into her room without another word to him.

He followed her into her room, knowing that was the last thing she wanted, but not caring. He shut the door and she turned to look at him.

"Peyton, you need to calm down," Lucas told her.

"Why? You put me and my boyfriend in separate hotel rooms and expect me to just be OK with it?" Peyton asked. "Well, I'm not OK with it. Actually, I'm pretty pissed off."

"Really? I hadn't noticed," Lucas sarcastically replied. He began to walk closer to her, but she stopped him by putting a hand on his chest.

"Get away from me," she demanded.

"Peyton," he said, his voice low. "Admit it. When everyone was telling me who they wanted to share the room with, you stayed quiet on purpose. You were hoping that I'd put you and Jake in separate rooms, but now your mad at me because you feel guilty. You feel like you're being a bad girlfriend."

"No. That's not true," she denied.

"Yes it is. You don't really have feelings for Jake, and that's not your fault."

"And you know what? That's none of your concern," she shot back.

He could see the way that her eyes kept glancing at his lips, and he smiled to himself. "You know what I think?" he asked, his lips an inch away from hers.

"What?" she asked, her voice cracking.

"I think you still have feelings for me," he told her.

His eyes searched hers as he waited for a response. He was shocked when the hand that was placed on his shirt gripped the fabric, pulling their lips together. Her other hand snaked its way over his neck, bringing him closer. He couldn't believe this was actually happening, but there was no way in hell that he was going to stop her. She pulled away briefly, still grasping his shirt in her hand. He opened his eyes and looked at her. Her eyes were still closed, so he reattached their lips.

He was in control of the kiss now, and he knew exactly what he was doing. His left hand was buried in her hair, while his right was placed firmly on her hip. He kissed her hungrily, smiling when she wrapped her arms around his neck, desperate to bring them as close as possible. He always felt that her feelings for him were still there- as his were for her- but having it be confirmed was the best feeling ever. He moved his right hand lower, running it over her ass.

She moaned, and he took it as an opportunity to slip his tongue into her mouth. Their tongues wrestled with each other, and Peyton would let out a tiny moan every time his tongue hit a certain part of hers. He released a small groan as she began to nibble on his bottom lip. His lips moved to her neck, finding her pulse spot. Her warm breath hit his neck every time she exhaled, and for the first time, he noticed how out of breath she was. She moaned lightly, loving what his lips were doing to her neck.

She brought their lips back together, her hands beginning to unbutton his shirt. He realized he needed to get a better grip on her instead of just standing in the middle of the room. His hands lifted her body into his strong arms and she wrapped her legs around his waist. He opened his eyes and saw the desk in the corner of the room. He held her with one hand and began to make his way over to the desk. Her hands held his face, running her thumb over his cheeks. He was proud to admit that they didn't break the kiss once.

Lucas finally reached the desk, using his free hand to swipe everything off of it. Papers, the remote, and the lamp all fell to the floor with a crash. He placed her on top of the desk and she pulled away, startled by the sound of the lamp shattering. She gave him a questioning look.

"I'll buy them a new one," he murmured.

That seemed to satisfy her because she put her lips back with his. His hands rested on either side of her hips, finding it easier to kiss her now that she was on a surface. Her fingers moved back to his shirt, fumbling to get the buttons undone. She had to break their kiss so that she could see what she was doing. He stared at her, unable to even begin to describe how beautiful she looked. Her hair was slightly messed up, her top was hanging off of one shoulder, and her lips were swollen from kissing him.

He knew what they were about to do, and he couldn't wait. They had only had sex once, and it was so awkward between them afterwards, they decided to break up. He always thought breaking up was a mistake, but never said anything about it to Peyton. He thought that if they had sex again, the awkwardness would disappear. He never got the chance to test that theory, until now. He knew that once they did this, they would have to be a couple again. Lucas could tell just by kissing her, that she was the one. None of the other girls he had kissed had ever come close to making him feel what he does when he kisses Peyton. He knew he was going to break up with Lindsey after this. And boy did he want to have her on this desk.

He didn't even notice that she had finished unbuttoning his shirt until she was pushing it off of his shoulders. She couldn't see his upper body because Lucas was wearing an undershirt. His muscular arms were exposed to her, but she decided that it wasn't enough. Her hands traveled down his chest, slipping underneath his undershirt. She could feel his abs and she began to lightly run her fingers over them. Her touch was cold against his hot body.

She took her hands out of his undershirt and placed them on his shoulders. She moved her head to the side, kissing his neck. He groaned when she found that special spot and sucked on it. Her lips started to travel along his jaw, and he struggled to regulate his breathing. She continued to work on his neck, when there was a knock on the door.

"Hey, Peyton," Jake called through the door. "Are you alright? I heard a crash."

"Shit!" Peyton whispered.

"Tell, him you're OK," Lucas said, looking at her nervous face.

Peyton shook her head. She had forgotten all about Jake. Lucas had put her in this lust-filled haze, causing her to forget all about him. Jake. Her boyfriend. Peyton shoved Lucas away from her.

"Hey. What are you doing?" he asked.

"I... I can't be doing this right now. I have a boyfriend. Jake," she said his name again. "Jake is my boyfriend, and you're not."

"Peyton, are you OK?" Jake asked once again. "If you don't answer me right now, I'm coming in."

"Yeah, Jake. I'm fine," Peyton replied, picking Lucas's shirt up off the floor and handing it to him.

"Come out here," Jake told her.

"OK." She grabbed Lucas by his hand and pushed him into the closet. She shut the door and walked over to the front door. "Hey, Jake."

"Hey. What were you doing in there?" he asked. "What was that crash?"

"I just knocked over the lamp," Peyton explained, moving over so that Jake could see the shattered lamp.

"Oh. Well, let me help you clean it up," Jake offered, beginning to walk into the room.

"No," Peyton stopped him. He gave her a weird look. "It's fine. I've got it. Go back to your room. I'll be there in a bit." She shut the door and Lucas came out of the closet.

"Peyton-" he began, moving closer to her.

"Lucas, just leave," she ordered. "Please."

She walked into her bathroom without another word to him. She sat on top of the toilet, waiting for the sound of the door closing. She didn't hear it, so she figured Lucas was waiting for her to come out. She knew he was probably going to hate her for the rest of his life, but she was happy that she did the right thing. Ten minutes later, Peyton heard the sound of the door closing. She sighed and walked out of the bathroom. There was a note on the floor and she picked it up. It said:

_Peyton, I am sorry. I'll have your new lamp tomorrow._

_-Lucas _

She was glad he knew what they had just done was wrong and he was apologizing for it. Maybe they could just forget the whole thing. She walked over to the corner, grabbing a paper to use to pick up the shards of glass from the lamp. When she got there, it was all cleaned up. The pieces from the lamp were all inside the wastebasket.

* * *

Lucas walked into his hotel room, spotting Lindsey laying on the bed. He let out a huge sigh, kicking off his shoes. She looked over to him, a smile appearing on her face. She stood up from the bed and Lucas realized that she was wearing lingerie with a silk robe over it.

"I've been waiting for you," she whispered seductively. "What took you so long?"

Lucas looked at her, wishing she was Peyton. He sighed again as she walked towards him. She wrapped her arms around his neck pushing her body against his.

"Wow. That was fast," she said, feeling his erection.

_Peyton made me this way,_ he wanted to say. Instead, he said, "You know what seeing you does to me."

Lindsey didn't believe him. "Seriously, Lucas. I know you didn't get this hard in five seconds. Where were you?" she asked. "Were you with someone else?" Lucas felt too guilty to tell her the truth.

"No, I wasn't with anyone else. I was with Nathan and Haley," Lucas said, knowing they would both agree to tell Lindsey he was with them. "We were... um... we were watching a movie. There was a sex scene-"

"Are you trying to tell me that you were hanging out with Nathan and Haley in their hotel room watching _porn_?" Lindsey interrupted.

"Uh... Yeah," Lucas stuttered. "It was Haley's idea. She thinks it's a good way to bond with each other."

"Um... wow. I really don't know what to say to that," Lindsey muttered. "I mean you think you know people, and then you find something weird out like that."

"Yeah, I know. I'm never doing that again," Lucas laughed, glad she bought it.

"Good," Lindsey murmured. "Now, how about I take care of you?"

"I'd love that," Lucas lied, letting her kiss his neck.

She sucked over the spot Peyton had. It was still so fresh, nothing had shown up. Now, Lindsey would believe that she had left that mark on his skin. He rested his hands on her hips, closing his eyes. He imagined she was Peyton the whole time.

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**I hoped you all enjoyed the chapter. Sorry about the cheating. Please leave a review. **


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